DAT 1200
Managerial Statistics I
The first of a two-course sequence in business applications of statistics, focused on descriptive statistics, probability and distributions, inferential statistics, and linear regression. Approximately, the first third of the course covers descriptive statistics and predictive analytics, including data visualization, applications of covariance, Simple Linear Regression, and Machine Learning in R. The second third is devoted to probability: basic rules, conditional probabilities, Bayes' theorem, expected values, and probability distributions. This work is followed by an introduction to sampling distributions and inferential statistics in the final third of the course. Confidence intervals and hypothesis testing are introduced to make inferences about parameters. Students are also introduced to Data Analytics using Python. Software used in the course includes Excel, R Studio, Tableau, and Python.
Instructors
Durai Sundaramoorthi, Liberty Vittert, Salih Tutun, Samira Fazel Anvaryazdi, Sundari Balan
Reviews
Durai was very nice and loved to talk to him, but the lectures were slow and dragged. The class is pretty boring to begin with. The class was known to be super easy in previous years. Two tests, 1st one was extremely easy, 2nd one was impossible, ruining everyone's grades. Was told they increased the difficulty bc they realized it was too easy.
7/1/2026
2 hrs/week
2026 Spring Review: There are pop quizzes you can skip three without a grade affect (at the end he gives you a lot of free ones). The HW is the most ai-able work I've ever had in my life. The first test the medidan was a 94 and the top 25% of the class got a 100%. The second (and final) test was the most cruel thing I've ever been subjected too. Every practice test was less than 15 pages and the final was 28 pages and very difficult. The median was a 60%. They did this on purpose because in years past both tests have been so easy that a 98% earns an A-. So this time they tried to make a hard test to create a distribution. Obviously it doesn't make sense to do it this way because this test was essentially a game of how fast can students take a test that's too long. Don't take it if you don't have too and if you do don't think its an easy A.
5/9/2026
Professor Sundaramoorthi is by far one of the most caring and kind professors at WashU. He is always willing to help students if they ask for it, and he is a hilarious person. Every exam (including the final exam) is extremely similar to the past exams. As long as you actually practice the exams, you will be more than ok in the course.
5/6/2026
Durai is one of the best professors I've had at WashU. In a statistics class, it's easy for a professor to just teach the problems, but he takes time to explain the concepts behind them engagingly. He is also always willing to chat to discuss position in the class, and makes strong efforts to be equitable across students. Super caring, 10/10.
5/5/2026
AVOID AT ALL COSTS. ABSOLUTELY UNFAIR FINAL EXAM. WORST CLASS EVER
5/3/2026
Strong lecturer, even though he could be somewhat difficult to understand from time to time. Always made the content entertaining and was easy to talk to.
4/24/2026
Super great professor, he gives dad energy in the best way and is intentionally and unintentionally funny. Exams are usually the same as past practice exams, the questions are often repeated. Lectures are easy to follow and the homework assignments are pretty easy as well. Has occasional pop quizzes that are mostly for attendance purposes.
4/24/2026
Professor Vittert tends to get off-topic during class, but I found her lectures very interesting, and she gives many real-world statistical examples. Her class is not very difficult; just make sure to participate and raise your hand when you can. That brings many students' grades down.
4/17/2026
Lectures were slightly repetitive but clear. Exams are identical to practice exams and homework. Super nice guy who wants his students to succeed. Gives out pop quizzes but usually gives answers for students who are present. If you took AP Stats or just do the homework, you should not have much trouble.
4/16/2026
His exams are not hard, but his lectures are long. I took AP Stats and this class is way easier, but his explanations are confusing.
4/15/2026
She is so nice, so kind, so patient, and so caring. Although the class is not so interesting, she tells everything in detail. Easy homework, easy grading, and the exams are similar to the practice exams.
1/14/2026
Balan was a very kind teacher who cared about her students. The class was relatively easy as long as you show up and pay attention a little bit. Practice exams are very similar to tests so master those.
12/29/2025
really caring teacher! she always provided support and let us know exactly what we needed to know for each exam & assignment
12/18/2025
Great lectures but tests were pretty unrelated to the material she covered in class, so you had to learn from Pearson or outside. Also had some weird Olin grade distribution requirements (no more than 30ish% of the class getting As) that she tried to impose then walked back on.
7/22/2025
Did not learn much because the lectures were not useful. Studying for the exams often required finding resources/content not from class
5/14/2025
honestly, she doesn't really prepare you at all for future stats classes. she doesn't teach much actual material, flexing her accomplishments in class and making her students listen to her own podcasts for homework. and she is super unclear about grading and doesn't respond to emails.
5/14/2025
you can have a 99 the whole semester and still end with an A-, doesn't respond to any emails
5/14/2025